LADIES’ COLUMN.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 14331, 8 October 1910, Page 5

LADIES’ COLUMN.

(By Sister Ann.) OF LOCAL INTEREST. Miss Deaeon is at present staying at Inglewood. Miss Percy Smith left ou Monday for Wellington and.Pieton. Mrs. A. C. Ffmkes has gone for a holiday to the Wellington district and will also visit Dannevirke before her return homo. Air.. Mrs., and Miss .Henry Brown have booked passages in the Taiimi. which leaves England at tho middle of October. Mr. Newton Matthews comes by the same boat. He lias succeeded in passing every medical examination for which be has entered, and Imped to go up for his final iu July next. Qnptnin Matthews leaves for New Zealand at the end of the year. Mrs. George Roberts (Auckland) has been visiting Taranaki, staying at Inglewood and at Stratford. Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Rennell have been spending some weeks at Stratford with their son, Mr. Alan Rennell, who is stationed'there. Tlie Misses Vida and Dora Hammond (Opunnke) aro spending n few days with Mrs. Newton King. Mrs. C. Fnirbrother (Carterton) and Mrs. F. Fairhrothcr (Palmerston), who have been to Now Plymouth to see Sirs. Cliff, returned to their homes this week. Miss Wade, another sister of Mrs. Home, leaves England in October, and will pay a long visit to her relatives here. Miss L. Skinner loaves Engl anil by tbo lonic in November, THE SPANISH PREMIER. A lato publication give the following account- of Sonor lose Cnnalejas, the Spanish Premier, who has been engaged in tho difficult controversy with fhd Vatican. Ho is a handsome-beard-ed,' and typical-looking Spaniard, and is just forty-six years old. His life has been a curious mixture of literary study and practical affairs. Ho wrote a novel when bo was ten, and tho novel was published, and when bo was eighteen ho was 'appointed Assistant Professor of,Philosophy and letters at-the University of Madrid. Afterwards ho became tho secretary of ouo of the principal Spanish railway companies, and while ho held this-position ho published a book called “Tho History of Latin Literature.” A GREAT TRAVELLER. . . One of tho most fascinating countries in'tho world to read about is that mysterious land Thibet. It is this very mystery shrouding it that makes ns long to lift’ the veil anil know more about it. It is, in truth like China, a flowiiry land, hud its wealth of floral beauty makes Switerland fade info insignificance. The blazo of blossoms, carpeting; its grassy plains, is simply dazzling, and the eyes grow tired and dim with ’ beholding. Of .Europeans Dr. Sven Hcdin, the Swedish traveller, knows most about, this hitherto forbidden land. This man . is jiist over Jorty—--tho-son-pf-an axchiiecih.uw Stock-, abobn. -(Wl»nk%ehwasSi'K=boy*JKiawoDot

delight was to draw maps, and before ho was of ago he was a renowned traveller. Ho had visited Persia and Mesopotamia, for a time lie had sojourned in Baku, the groat oil centre, and hero" ho learnt tho Tartar and Russian languages. Since then lie. has travelled in many lands, and has given his piled-np knowledge to tho world at large. To look at, olio would expect to see a sunhrowned, hairy, Nomad, hut 'instead ouo beholds a slender scholarlylooking gentleman wearing a moustache, and looking more like a quiet university professor than a dauntless and intrepid explorer. THE DALAI LAMA. Somehow this seemingly mythical personage always reminds me of Mclchisidek, that mysterious figure which outers hut once upon the Biblical stage, yet (so strong is his personality) all who read about him cannot fail to ho impressed. Ho was at the, same time a prince and a priest, and is always regarded as a type of our Lord Himself. The Dalai Luma too, is a king and a monk; Now that there is a possibility of trouble between Britain and China, this mysterious head of the Buddhist faith again steps into public notice Ho lived hidden from tho world, in the sacred city of Lhassa, until an English expedition forced its way into tho Thibetan capital, and the Dalai Lama fled for refuge to Cuma. Now, as there has been trouble 'with the Flowery Land, he mis sought the hospitality with the British in Darjeeling., The Lama is a comparatively young man, with a Mongolian cast of countenance, a long moustache,'a high forehead, and ti face which expresses both intellect npd power. As is the custom among Buddhist monks, his head is shaven, and he always Canties a rosary in hit lelt baud. DOGS IN CHURCH. From time immemorial churches have possessed a supreme fascination for the canine race. It must he an inherent greed for piety, for wherever .there is a Divine Service there -do dogs congregate. In earlier days the verger was .commonly known ns the “dog whipper,” and in some of the old churches in England and Wales, aro st'i**- t° lao seen "dog tongs,” with which this gentleman was wont to drag dogs from their hiding places, when it was doomed necessary to expel them from the sacred edifice. These longs were made to expand to a considerable length, and some were fashioned of oak with nails in the claws at the end oi them. THE CROWN PRINCE OF SWEDEN. British readers hate now a special interest in the-throne of Sweden, since its future Queen is one <>(: the popular daughters of the popular Duke of Connaught, says the World’s Work. They are glad to know from Swedish sources that tho coming of this merry English princess has completely changed tin; aspect of .what' was rather a sad and dull court. There is no doubt that the Crown Prince and Princess will play a leading part in tho cobteniiial celebration of,tho ue-ee.-uon of the BernndoUe dynasty to tho throne of the Northern kingdom. Although the Hom>« of Bernadotte has done wonders for tho wclfart*. of the country. it has never been popular with the 'old Swedish nobility: and tho very fact that it was to a large extent boycotted by them has doubt - loan enabled it, to pay a great deal of attention to the welfare of the common people. Thorn is no greater-ro-mance'"in all the romantic records of royally than that which saw Napoleon's Field Marshal (who is said to have had the motto “Death to Kings and Tyrants” tattooed on his arm) ascend the ancient throne of the Vasas. The line became more closely connected with "Napoleonic history from the fact that Beinadotle’s con married tho daughter of Eugene du Beauhornais and therefore the granddaughter of Josephine. The numarehs who have succeeded King Charles XIV., ns tbe Field Marshal became, have been noted for their grace and charm, much of whicli is supposed to he due to Josephine’s notoriously attractive son. " Of lato years, however, tho royal family has not been a happy one. King Oscar’s declining years were saddened hv the 'secession of Norway and by continual family disagreements athome. He married Princess Sophia of Nassau, who inherited the great wealth acquired by her family from the gaming-tables of Wiesbaden. His wife became, before he died, almost a religious fanatic; and, with one of her nous. Prince Oscar Bernadotte, who renounced bis titles to marry bis mother's' nmid-of-hondur add who is a leader in the Swedish Salvation Army, is said to he on not very good terms with the rest of her family. The reigning Queen of Sweden, a first cousin of the German Emperor, daughter of the only daughter of the old Emperor William, has for nearly twenty years declined to live in Stockholm; and, for reasons of health, spends most of her time iivwarmer climates. There aro those who allege that the Queen seems particularly gay and well for an invalid; and say that it is only her aversion to what has been a very sad court which keeps her awav from it. In spite of her absence,, sho will have been the cause of filially attracting tbo old Swedish nobility again to the support of the Throne; for she is a direct descendant of the House of Vasa, amt in her son, 'the present Crowp Prince, the old. as well as the new Swedish dynasties aro united. Prince Gnstavus Adolphus is said to be a most charming, unaffected young man, almost ns tall as his father, who is noted as the tallest King in Europe. He, takes the duties of his position very seriously ; yet has ample time to spend in tho simple but charming English homo which .Princess Margaret has made, in Stockholm. His brother, Prince William, who was married to a daughter .of tho Grand Duke Paid of Russia, Inis n similar establishment; and tliis gay quartet lias brought much now life to tho old Swedish capital. KING GEORGE’S CROWN IN PAWN. At least' four times the crown of England has been in pawn. Henry HI. and Henry V., Edward 111. anil Richard 11. all resorted to this means of raising money. The merchants of Flanders once- had possession of tho crown; tho City of London hold it ns security for £2000; and it was pledged at , another timo for £20,000. Edward 111. disposed of it to tho Bishop of Winchester for £13,,’500, and Charles 11. would have used flie crown as a personal asset if ho had been able to turn,if into money, AN EXCEEDINGLY PRETTY .WEDDING, At St. .Mary Magdalene’s Church, Boddington, Cheshire, recently, . the marriage took plnco of Miss Isabel Maud Gibbons, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Gibbons.; - of Boddington Manor, near Cheltenham, and the Rev. Rowan Ernest Grice-Hntchinson, son of tho Into Captain Grice-Hntchinson, of Tho Hogues, Upton-on-Sevoni, Worcestershire... The bride’s uncle, the Rev. T. G. Dixon, and the Rev. Canon Beal performed the, ceremony. Tho ..bride, aicaa ,gieeg. away by her Sathcr.tworeeafididssyMdßimoß^atin,

the bodice and front of the skirt being embroidered in a design of wbcatears in silver and paste, and finished with sheaves of old 11 Missels lace. The court train was of tbo same old lace, lightly mounted over soft ivory satin, and slung from the with truelovcrs’ knots in and paste. She wore a lovely old veil of beautiful lacc, which belonged to her great-grand-mother, over a wreath of myrtle and orange-blossom. Master Christopher Wilson acted as page, wearing a cream satin and cloth suit, and carrying a three-cornered hat. The throe elder bridesmaids wore dresses of mauve silk voile over pale rose-pink taffeta, trimmed with fine lace and oxidised silver, with hats of manvo straw, lined with a deener slir.do of mauve, and trimmed with shaded pink roses. _ The two little girls were in frocks of ivory net and satin, and wore quaint hats, to match, trimmed with small pink roses. They carried baskets of carnations and swcet-pcas. The bride wont away in a costume of- white linen, piped with black and trimmed with embroidery, and a black and white hat adorned with white roses.